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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · lean · kick · temple · leaves · tear · calf · chair

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lean — thin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chair — a leader
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tear — from crying
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com